A sombre St Paul's honours the dead of both sides in Iraq war

There was no march past of the Armed Forces, no euphoria and no triumphalism at the service of remembrance, writes Neil Tweedie

12:01AM BST 11 Oct 2003

The Last Post sounded for the dead of both sides in the Iraq war yesterday when servicemen, relatives and politicians gathered for a service of remembrance at St Paul's Cathedral.

The commemoration, presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury and witnessed by the Queen and 2,000 others, was in marked contrast to that which followed the Falklands conflict 21 years ago. There was no march past of the Armed Forces, no euphoria and no triumphalism. Victory received a mention only at the end, in the National Anthem.

The sense of Iraq as a source of national controversy and unfinished business was palpable. No great crowds waited outside to cheer veterans of the conflict as they emerged.

Tony Blair, who staked his political future on the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, sat at the head of hundreds of soldiers, sailors and airmen. He was accompanied by John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, and the leaders of the main political parties.

The Queen was joined at the head of the congregation by Prince Philip, the Prince of Wales and nine other members of the Royal Family.

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Representatives of more than 20 Churches and faiths also attended. They listened as the Rt Rev David Conner, the Bishop to the Forces, sought to portray the conflict as the rescue of a subjugated people, rather than a war between nations.

Leading the act of remembrance, he said: "Let us remember before God, and commend to his sure keeping, those of our Armed Services, and of our allies, who fell in the Iraqi conflict and in continuing peace-keeping operations; let us remember also the civilian and military dead of Iraq, and all whose lives have been taken while bringing relief to people in need." The bugles sounded, and a two-minute silence began.

Chief among the mourners were the relatives of the 50 British servicemen who have died in Iraq since the start of the war, including 19 killed since the official end of major military operations on May 1.

There were 250 of them, including the mother and brother of L/Cpl Ian Malone of the Irish Guards, killed in action in Basra on April 6. As the hymns were sung they comforted each other quietly, placing their hands on each other.

However, some relatives of the dead decided to stay away, and even some of those attending were openly critical of the Prime Minister and the decision to go to war.

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, walked a tightrope in his address. It was right to care about justice and security, he said, and to pay the price of fine words. But as wars developed, bright ideals became tarnished and new problems were bred. No amount of talk about ideals eased the pain of those who had lost loved ones.

He went on: "In this service today we are bound to face these contradictory feelings. Those who defended the action in Iraq rightly reminded us that, while we talk, people are suffering appallingly; while we try to keep our hands clean, atrocity and oppression remained unchecked.

"Whatever the different judgements about the decision to go to war, we have to recognise the moral seriousness of this, and the dedication of those who carried out the decision."

But there was also a warning for Mr Blair. Dr Williams added: "We have made ourselves accountable for peace and justice in Iraq, and leaders and people alike will indeed be called to account for it."

In a briefing before the service, the Very Rev John Moses, the Dean of St Paul's, said some people might question the timing of the service, given the fact that British troops were still engaged in operations in Iraq, albeit on a limited scale. It also had to be accepted that the nation was deeply divided over the war.

"The initiative for the service came from the Government and we may question whether the time is right," he said. Dr Moses dismissed the idea of a chauvinistic service, saying: "I do not believe in today's world we can have a national service and behave like little Brits. We live in an increasingly fragile world, and if one is not sensitive to other traditions, other experiences, other faiths, we are sowing the seeds of greater disharmony in the future."

He went on: "The main focus is upon our servicemen and women, but we will also remember all those who died in Iraq. There is something in our scriptures about loving your enemy."

Mike Aston, whose son Russell was one of six Royal Military Police killed by an Iraqi mob, praised the event, but added: "It was more of a religious service. We should have a victory parade to honour them."

Gordon Evans, whose son Llywelyn also died, said he would turn his back on the Prime Minister if he encountered him. He said: "He did die in vain, and the reason I don't want Mr Blair there today is because, if it were not for him, there would not be a memorial service. The troops would never have gone out in the first place."

The strong passions aroused by the war were brought home to Mr Blair as he left the cathedral by the north entrance. Walking into the daylight with his wife Cherie he was greeted by one member of the public with the words "you bastard".

Police said later that the man who shouted the abuse was a member of the Royal British Legion.